got a hybrid RTC a few months ago and hes grown about 3-4 inches since ive had him. i feed him carnivore pellets and also feeder fish. should i be feeding him more meatier foods like chunks of salmon or raw shrimp. i want him to grow to his max potential so im just wondering if theres anything i could be doing different that would help him get there. Also he’s currently in a 250g but im looking to ugrade him to a pond in a few months what size pond should i build and what other fish should i put in with him i was thinking maybe some dats or rays or gars
hybrid redtail catfish
- Thread starter Isaiahm
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Stop the feeder fish and feed either fillet or whole fish as he grows. Currently you are training him to eat his tank mates. The complete opposite of what you want if you want to move him to a pond and hope for him to coexist. You want him to feed only from you and when you offer it. Not get hungry so eat a tank mate.
In the pond not so sure about rays but dats will no doubt prove to be too small and an expensive meal eventually. Other large cats like pengassius, giraffe cats, and large barbs such as black shark should fare ok. Then you are looking at things that are nocturnal so not spooked constantly or are simply too large to be eaten.
My concern with your fish is how much training he has already had.
In the pond not so sure about rays but dats will no doubt prove to be too small and an expensive meal eventually. Other large cats like pengassius, giraffe cats, and large barbs such as black shark should fare ok. Then you are looking at things that are nocturnal so not spooked constantly or are simply too large to be eaten.
My concern with your fish is how much training he has already had.
Welcome abroad!
In addition to seconding what Fishman Dave pointed out on feeding and compatibility, I'd skip the stingrays. Since they're foldable, they're easy for large catfish to eat, and would be a very expensive meal.
For example, a tiger shovelnose (which a red tail/red tail hybrid has a proportionally wider mouth than) can eat quite large rays.
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I assume you mean TSN x RTC hybrid.
3"-4" in a few months is an okay growth.
No need whatsoever to feed live feeder fish and risk introducing a bad or lethal pathogen. Whole frozen fish, best and cheapest from bait vendors, presoaked in VitaChem is good. Plus quality pellets, if the fish takes them. Salmon might be too fat for this fish. Leaner marine fish or leaner f/w fish would be better. Shrimp is fine in small % of the over diet, no more than 10%-20% I'd say.
Max potential differs for these fish. They are culls from manmade food fish farms with inferior genetics of varying, unpredictable severity.
2000 gal round pond may suffice for a long time, if not for life.
Its tank mates shouldn't fit in its mouth, as a rule of thumb. Dats - only if they are 2ft. Rays - IDK (do you know rays are extremely dangerous?). Gars - only the thickest and biggest, like alligator gar. No longnose. Risky with Florida gar. Iridescent shark - okay if large enough not to fit in the mouth.
As for the pond heating... in what climate? Where is this? There are heaters. There is insulation by covering, building a shelter, thermal insulation (styrofoam, glasswool).
3"-4" in a few months is an okay growth.
No need whatsoever to feed live feeder fish and risk introducing a bad or lethal pathogen. Whole frozen fish, best and cheapest from bait vendors, presoaked in VitaChem is good. Plus quality pellets, if the fish takes them. Salmon might be too fat for this fish. Leaner marine fish or leaner f/w fish would be better. Shrimp is fine in small % of the over diet, no more than 10%-20% I'd say.
Max potential differs for these fish. They are culls from manmade food fish farms with inferior genetics of varying, unpredictable severity.
2000 gal round pond may suffice for a long time, if not for life.
Its tank mates shouldn't fit in its mouth, as a rule of thumb. Dats - only if they are 2ft. Rays - IDK (do you know rays are extremely dangerous?). Gars - only the thickest and biggest, like alligator gar. No longnose. Risky with Florida gar. Iridescent shark - okay if large enough not to fit in the mouth.
As for the pond heating... in what climate? Where is this? There are heaters. There is insulation by covering, building a shelter, thermal insulation (styrofoam, glasswool).
im in northern california so it doesnt get that hot even in the summer. i would do a heater but i read that to have a heater that size would cost 500 a month on the heating bill. also what kinds of fish should i be feeding him if not salmon are catfish fillets good
My pond gets down to 68 degrees in winter and fish seem fine although slow down a lot but I know of others on here that go lower still in ponds.
I feed white fish fillets although pengasius or catfish fillet would also work. Essentially any none oily fish. Avoid things like mackerel or salmon as they are very oily. The more whole the fish is the more “natural” and by that I mean full of different vitamins from bones and other organs although more risky if not the correct size for the fish, as a deboned fillet is easier to eat but ideally could be soaked in vitamins (although I don’t, some do).
I feed white fish fillets although pengasius or catfish fillet would also work. Essentially any none oily fish. Avoid things like mackerel or salmon as they are very oily. The more whole the fish is the more “natural” and by that I mean full of different vitamins from bones and other organs although more risky if not the correct size for the fish, as a deboned fillet is easier to eat but ideally could be soaked in vitamins (although I don’t, some do).
I knew a guy with a bunch of tanks/racks that were kept outside heat round and he setup a natural gas pool heater to warm his sump, which was connected to all of his tanks. Said he saved a ton by going gas, no electric
hey guys, i dont know much but what i do know is you can’t find adults of any of the freaky hybrids except the tsn/rtc like i can’t find a picture of a fully grown ripsaw/tsn or ripsaw/rtc or rtc/paroon shark or rtc/hifin shark or rtc/blackear or spotted tsn/marbled achara or the corruscans/reticulatum or the tsn/firewood or the leopard jau catfish idk where the leopard comes from or the leopard ripsaw catfish were even predatory fins don’t know what it made of, like are there even fully grown ones out there?
everytime you search these up theres just the predatory fins listing (its where most of these abominations are sold) and maybe a bit more, let me know if you know of where you can even find images of these fish fully grown?
everytime you search these up theres just the predatory fins listing (its where most of these abominations are sold) and maybe a bit more, let me know if you know of where you can even find images of these fish fully grown?
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